Even through the crappy microphone of a cell phone, you can tell that they're well rehearsed and playing and singing great. It's a lot of pressure on a band who's been away for like 20 years and with such a legacy to live up to.

You can tell it's pure joy. I know Adam & Chris have been wanting to do this for years and I can only imagine how they were feeling as they were seconds away from playing that first note.

I feel like I'm living vicariously through the guy in the front with the beard.

Not sure if this is something they're going to do, or only play a couple of big fests, cash in, and get out....I hope it's lucrative and fun.....I'd love to see them play one more time.

scannest wrote:Blake read Keats' poem "Ode to a Grecian Urn" before they started because OF COURSE HE DID.

Dude cracks me up.

DISCLAIMER: I curated a handwritten and then digital gigography of shows that Jawbreaker played, with setlists, flyers, audio/video, reviews, photos etc. So take everything I say with a grain of salt.

I just thought it was a very Jawbreaker thing to do. When they were a band they were known for playing 5-6 new songs that nobody had heard and/or not playing "Busy", both of which irritated people there to see them. How great then, before playing live in 21 years, to quote a poem from 1819 about two scenes from an urn, which has a line about (I'm paraphrasing here) "sounds that are unheard seem sweeter than those that are heard". I think, given the 21 years, that was a pretty clever tie in. I dunno though. I'd rather hear a poem than "This first song is called Victim in Pain and it's from our record called Victim in Pain, 1-2-3-4 GO!".

I was glad to hear that Jawbreaker was going to play the Chicago rock-show and was looking forward to seeing the youtube clips and I'm glad to have gotten clips from another show.

I guess Monsula's backstage conversation was like "Oh great, Jawbreaker wants to open for us? I'm sure we won't have a tough act to follow".

Speaking of Monsula, I heard that when Lance Hahn (RIP) joined them on 2nd guitar they recorded an entire second album that they totally scrapped. Anybody actually hear this demo/record? I still listen to 4-5 songs from Sanitized.

There was no hostility behind my "dude cracks me up" comment. I meant it pretty sincerely - reading a Keats poem before you play is kinda funny, right? Maybe 'ballsy" is a better word. Either way, I would have giggled a little.

"Maybe if Lewdd posts pics of barbecued salmon, you can post pictures of sushi?" -Jimmy Heartburn

Well, after watching clips of some of Blake's past solo shows, I was just glad to see him in good spirits and playing out. In those videos he seemed a little off and would (haphazardly) play songs from his back catalog and then random stuff, like him covering that Third Eye Blind song for example. Also, he is totally morphing into Walter Matthau...which is so odd since they used a photo of him on their earlier 7".

captain2man wrote:I feel like I'm living vicariously through the guy in the front with the beard.

Chris Shary wrote:The guy in the front with the beard had a really great time.

LOL

FlexMyHead wrote:Speaking of Monsula, I heard that when Lance Hahn (RIP) joined them on 2nd guitar they recorded an entire second album that they totally scrapped.

It's true that there is a (third, not second) LP that was recorded and never released. I'm not sure who all played guitar on it though. Chuck was gone, and both Lance and Jason White played guitar, sometimes apart and sometimes together. I can't see a Monsula album being released without Chuck, though.

scannest wrote:There was no hostility behind my "dude cracks me up" comment. I meant it pretty sincerely - reading a Keats poem before you play is kinda funny, right? Maybe 'ballsy" is a better word. Either way, I would have giggled a little.

if you read this (which is the article i assume JGJR referenced upthread but didn't link to), it sounds like Blake isn't opposed to the idea of more shows after RiotFest. which just means i'll get to see them more than once.

agreed. hopefully, like westerberg, he'll at least get through most of a tour before imploding.

as was true with the 'mats, i am not taking my chances, and will again be wading through the mass of humanity in chicago. at least the lineup for that stage, where i will be camping out all day, is pretty decent - beach slang, that dog., capn jazz, dinosaur jr. and then jawbreaker. with the replacements, i had to suffer through fucking AFI to get anywhere near the stage.

laura wrote:if you read this (which is the article i assume JGJR referenced upthread but didn't link to), it sounds like Blake isn't opposed to the idea of more shows after RiotFest. which just means i'll get to see them more than once.

Thanks for posting that, I must have missed it. I'm a bit shocked how open he was and how brutally honest he was about why it even happened:

My life was just stopped completely. I don't think I am coming to it from hunger. It was just this huge thing that was sitting right in front of me the whole time. I kind of hit a moment where I was like, I can either apply for 100 jobs and not get them. I mean - dog walking - I couldn't get hired. Which is just a reflection of our economy, I think? Nothing against me or anybody else. I couldn't believe what I couldn't get.

And about playing other shows:

It’s see how it goes. I think we all wanna do a few more to travel for one thing so people don’t have to go to this one festival if they want to see it. For ourselves and for our fans. I’d like to go to South America. I’m not going to get there any other way. [laughing]. We went to Europe a couple times. We’ve never been to Japan. Any place we could go. Everyone is very involved in their own life too. We want to do it in a way that's comfortable. We all agreed that we’d see all this went. If it’s not painful or disastrous then we can hopefully do a couple more. Find something that’s sensible.

One thing I found bit odd was that he said he went to tab sites to get a clue on how to play stuff. Now, I know Kiss The Bottle has some different types of chords, but while I never really attempted to learn any of their songs, they never seemed that tricky? I dunno.

I also liked the following:

The singing in Jawbreaker is really physically demanding for me. I'm just not a singer that way always. Any kind of punk rock band. Your body does things that are based on emotion, rage, and sadness that are not technical. That was my learning how to sing was just through desperately trying to express myself.

Ben Weasel of all people had a great quote (and I can't quote it unfortunately) about listening to a 'punk' singer and just totally right away get a feeling from them that was sincere and then hearing some other punk record and it made him want to start vacuuming or something. Just felt so empty and hollow. I was in crap bands in college that nobody cared about, so no way I could compare, but I hope that I put the same feeling into when I played. Doubt it. lol.

FlexMyHead wrote:Well, after watching clips of some of Blake's past solo shows, I was just glad to see him in good spirits and playing out. In those videos he seemed a little off and would (haphazardly) play songs from his back catalog and then random stuff, like him covering that Third Eye Blind song for example. Also, he is totally morphing into Walter Matthau...which is so odd since they used a photo of him on their earlier 7".

Jesus... Dude is only 2 years older than I am, but looks about 20 years older.... he had cancer or something fairly serious awhile back, right? I guess that shit will put some hard mileage on a guy.

Save for the lack of "Chesterfield King," "Tour Song" and "Do You Still Hate Me?" (though to be honest there are always songs they'll miss) that set list is pretty much perfect. I hope that if they tour, the sets would be a bit longer. And the video I saw sounds great.

JGJR wrote:Save for the lack of "Chesterfield King," "Tour Song" and "Do You Still Hate Me?" (though to be honest there are always songs they'll miss) that set list is pretty much perfect. I hope that if they tour, the sets would be a bit longer. And the video I saw sounds great.

Chesterfield King was the obvious omission, and set was too Dear You heavy for my tastes, but it's hard to complain. I've seen Jawbreaker so many times in small clubs, so I actually really enjoyed seeing them with 50,000ish people singing along. I'm really happy for those guys, who have always been solid people.

Riot Fest asked Jawbreaker two or three times to play and they said no each time until this year (I think this was pretty common knowledge).

If this went well, they will do more shows. I haven't talked to anyone after, but it sure seems like it went well. Playing in front of 50,000(?) people after a 21 year break and not sucking has to be pretty rad. So long as Blake and Chris get along, there should be more shows.

There is nothing else planned for this year. I don't think that means there won't be a show pop up here or there. Things being talked about for next year: Some festival in Barcelona in the spring and some Japan dates in the fall. Again, only if things went well and everyone wants to move forward.

As for US shows, what they would like to do is play multiple nights at smaller venues in each city. This, theoretically, would solve the quick sell out problems being talked about above.

The amount of money they are dealing with at this point is mind boggling for those of us raised in DIY punk. I was stoked to pay them $250 or so when they played in Sacto.

the mean wrote:... I was stoked to pay them $250 or so when they played in Sacto...

Glad to hear they sounded good and went over well. Haven't had time to watch the clips but I take that to mean they weren't just going through the motions?

I think I brought it up before, but in early 90s I was in college in Virginia and I wrote Adam a letter and asked if they could play a house party for $50 and beer next time they went to DC and he very nicely told me he didn't think so. I didn't know you rich California bastards were offering him 5x that amount!

I'd for sure check them out if, for some reason, they decided to play in Floriduh.

Yes it was. When they broke into Boxcar, I thought I was going to get crushed to death. The first 4 songs were complete mayhem near the stage, then everybody seemed to calm down, and I was able to enjoy the show without fear of dying. The only song I was hoping for (besides Busy, which I was pretty sure they wouldn't play) was Ashtray Monument. They sounded amazing, and seemed like they were totally into it.

I can't add much more than what the others said about Jawbreaker, they were into it & played great. I guess the two greatest omissions for me are "shield your eyes" & "chesterfield king" they never played much from Bivouac/chesterfield king records on their last tours but always those tunes.....whatever, it was amazing getting to see them again and they seemed to really appreciate the crowd response. Maybe now a tour? We had an awesome weekend but it would take a FUGAZI-level reunion to get me back to any more festivals.

It's hard to believe this band is arena rock, now. How long before the crowds turn their backs on this bloated corporate shit and start teasing out their hair and worshipping shred guitar solos, again?

jaybird wrote:Never, ever understood all the hype about this band... didn't get it during their original run, don't get it now.

Almost sounds like you love to hate them. Maybe you should call a truce and instead of sitting in a river of sadness, step out into the daylight and recognize when love puts on a sad face that some people dig Jawbreaker, but for now, there might be a band you like a ton that others, including a wicked politician, just think they and in betweens. Fuck this joke is stale. Young man in transit. Bandito callin.

jaybird wrote:Never, ever understood all the hype about this band... didn't get it during their original run, don't get it now.

See also: Screeching Weasel. I think these bands are 'good/ok'. Jawbreaker never got their hooks in me. But I think they sound relatively unique (mostly the dude's voice). And I think the lyrics are pretty clever, usually. But I don't understand the tearful reverence for them. Like, tens of thousands of people waiting on baited breath for them to come back. People crying the audience, etc. WTF?

Anyway, I totally called this. Dudes need money. Dudes have a million dollar cash cow just sittin' there. Duh. Any bets on who is next?

jaybird wrote:Never, ever understood all the hype about this band... didn't get it during their original run, don't get it now.

Almost sounds like you love to hate them. Maybe you should call a truce and instead of sitting in a river of sadness, step out into the daylight and recognize when love puts on a sad face that some people dig Jawbreaker, but for now, there might be a band you like a ton that others, including a wicked politician, just think they and in betweens. Fuck this joke is stale. Young man in transit. Bandito callin.

jaybird wrote:Never, ever understood all the hype about this band... didn't get it during their original run, don't get it now.

See also: Screeching Weasel. I think these bands are 'good/ok'. Jawbreaker never got their hooks in me. But I think they sound relatively unique (mostly the dude's voice). And I think the lyrics are pretty clever, usually. But I don't understand the tearful reverence for them. Like, tens of thousands of people waiting on baited breath for them to come back. People crying the audience, etc. WTF?

Anyway, I totally called this. Dudes need money. Dudes have a million dollar cash cow just sittin' there. Duh. Any bets on who is next?

Yeah, they're not terrible, and I don't begrudge them their late-hour payday. I tried many times to get into them, but they always just always seemed pretty average/middle-of-the-pack to me. I've always thought that 1st Jets To Brazil record was the best thing that guy ever did.... shows what I know.

I was actually a YUGE Screeching Weasel fan in the early 90s... I can only listen to maybe one or two of their albums these days... My Brain Hurts & Wiggle... Same with The Queers... the billions of shitty imitators that followed in their wake effectively ruined the rest of their output for me.

jaybird wrote:Never, ever understood all the hype about this band... didn't get it during their original run, don't get it now.

Almost sounds like you love to hate them. Maybe you should call a truce and instead of sitting in a river of sadness, step out into the daylight and recognize when love puts on a sad face that some people dig Jawbreaker, but for now, there might be a band you like a ton that others, including a wicked politician, just think they and in betweens. Fuck this joke is stale. Young man in transit. Bandito callin.

The Psychedelic Furs' "Forever Now" came on the radio yesterday and for a few seconds I thought it was Jawbreaker. I love both the Furs and Jawbreaker, but I wouldn't call Blake's vocals unique for that reason. He's always sounded like Richard Butler to me.

Let me say this as politely as I can - get the fuck outta here. Blake's voice was polarizing when those first records came out. The difference between those who loved them and those who didn't frequently came down to your tolerance for his voice. It was their defining feature circa WHACK AND BLITE and UNFUN.

"Maybe if Lewdd posts pics of barbecued salmon, you can post pictures of sushi?" -Jimmy Heartburn

Let me say this as politely as I can - get the fuck outta here. Blake's voice was polarizing when those first records came out. The difference between those who loved them and those who didn't frequently came down to your tolerance for his voice. It was their defining feature circa WHACK AND BLITE and UNFUN.

Let me say this as politely as I can. Please listen to this and let me know if you still don't think he sounds like Richard Butler.

Your point is interesting, however, as I've been a fan since Bivouac and I don't recall any of that sort of ambivalence about his voice like with say, Craig Wedren of Shudder to Think (a singer I also love but whose voice was very polarizing back then; don't believe me? Read one of Jim Testa's reviews of a Shudder show at Maxwell's from back then). They were VERY well loved in both the punk and eventually (from 24RT on) indie scenes, though of course there were some I knew who didn't care for them. It usually wasn't because of Blake's voice, though.

Plus, they covered "Into You Like a Train" during the Dear You sessions and stuck it on a bonus track on the CD reissue and Blake claimed that he'd been getting those comparisons from day one.

Before Dear You came out, the label had sent a promo 7" to radio stations and I was in college in Virginia and we had heard that WUVT (Virginia Techs) had got a copy and the "punk radio guy" was going to play it, so we gathered around a dorm room and waited for the song and it was Fireman and it started and.......we all went "What the fuck happened to his voice?!?" we thought the vocal sounded so weird and different and couldn't get over what the major label record producers had done to his voice. Ah the innocence of youth having the time and/or energy to get upset about how somebodies voices sounds on a record. Salad days!

FlexMyHead wrote:Before Dear You came out, the label had sent a promo 7" to radio stations and I was in college in Virginia and we had heard that WUVT (Virginia Techs) had got a copy and the "punk radio guy" was going to play it, so we gathered around a dorm room and waited for the song and it was Fireman and it started and.......we all went "What the fuck happened to his voice?!?" we thought the vocal sounded so weird and different and couldn't get over what the major label record producers had done to his voice. Ah the innocence of youth having the time and/or energy to get upset about how somebodies voices sounds on a record. Salad days!

Indeed. I was one of many in my NJ scene who heard it (via my college radio station, I got a promo), thought the same thing about his voice and the production and traded it in. I still went to see them at Irving Plaza on that tour, though, and that remains the only time I ever saw them. Of course I bought it 5 years later and loved it. The naivete and self-righteousness of youth.

John Lisa would play that WHACK AND BLITE 7" for anyone who would listen and the response was often "This is the great...but that voice?! What the fuck is up with that voice?!" That continued with UNFUN - a general sense of how amazing this band would be if they had an actual singer. Of course, that wasn't everyone. But it seemed like a dividing line for those of use who gravitated towards the more melodic side of things and those who liked their punk/hardcore with more dirt under the nails.

"Maybe if Lewdd posts pics of barbecued salmon, you can post pictures of sushi?" -Jimmy Heartburn